This field at N. 7th and Granite streets is due to become Harrisburg’s first public dog park.
Harrisburg is a hair away from getting its first public dog park, as Friends of Midtown says that it’s raised enough money to open one this fall.
At a meeting last night, Andy and Annie Hughes, who are heading up the dog park task force, said their group has raised about $8,000 of its $20,000 goal, enough to install a fence with an anticipated October opening.
“I can’t believe this day has finally arrived,” Annie Hughes told a small gathering of dog-lovers at Midtown Scholar Bookstore.
The married couple began the project almost two years ago, after moving to Midtown Harrisburg and feeling that their energetic dog needed an area to run around off-leash.
“We were enjoying walks around the river, but we needed more space for her,” Andy Hughes said.
They approached Friends of Midtown, which encouraged them to pursue the idea, he said.
Soon after, they identified a possible site—an empty block at N. 7th and Granite streets. The owner, Vartan Group, agreed to donate the grassy lot for a two-year period if Friends of Midtown could raise the money to build the park. So, they solicited donations, held events and ran online fundraisers.
Andy Hughes said that the major expense has been the fencing, a special heavy-duty, yet flexible product manufactured by West Haven, Conn.-based Pet Playgrounds, which specializes in dog fencing. A 5-foot high, 700-square-foot fence will enclose the ½-acre site. Other expenses include signage, insurance, repairs, equipment, outreach and some maintenance, although, to lower costs, Friends of Midtown volunteers will perform some of the regular maintenance, Hughes said.
The park will be divided into two sections: one for smaller dogs of less than 30 pounds and one for larger dogs. The areas will have separate entry gates. There will also be waste bags and trashcans on site. A sign will spell out a number of rules, including an age restriction for dogs (over 6 months) and for humans (over 18 years). Dogs also must be licensed, have a current rabies vaccination and be spayed or neutered. Entry is free.
The temporary, two-year park is essentially a pilot project. Friends of Midtown will collect data to determine how the park is used and how it might be improved, in the event a permanent park is built.
To that end, the group hopes to use the time to identify a permanent site or, perhaps, get an extension on its current agreement with Vartan. In addition, Harrisburg has plans to build a city-owned dog park over the next few years, though that park would be located several miles away in Reservoir Park.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that, in conceptual meetings for the city’s comprehensive plan, residents kept mentioning that they wanted a dog park in the city.
“A dog park was the No. 1 thing to come up,” he said.
Annie Hughes said that her group plans to continue to fundraise to reach its $20,000 goal. The next fundraiser, in fact, is slated for Wednesday, a Harrisburg Senators game at FNB Field on City Island, with a portion of ticket sales ordered through a special website going to the dog park.
“While we have fundraised to open the park, we haven’t fundraised enough to operate it for the next two years,” said Kate Moyer, president of Friends of Midtown.
You can support the dog park by ordering a ticket for the Senators game on Wednesday at https://groupmatics.events/event/Dogpark. For more information and other donations, visit https://chuffed.org/project/fomdogpark.
